Secrets of the Clans/Cliffnotes
These notes are brief, noting major events and minor events in Secrets of the Clans that will be of consequence later. They are intended to be used as a reference for those looking for specific events for re-reading and the book discussions. *This chapter tells the story of the origin of the Clans, which is also found on the official site as Clan lore. *When cats first came into the forest, they fought all the time over prey and territory. *On the night of the full moon they decide to meet at Fourtrees. *They argue over stolen prey. *A huge battle begins and many cats die. *The survivors sleep where they fought, and when they wake up they see the spirits of the fallen cats. *The spirit-cats ask them to unite. *Four cats named Shadow, River, Wind, and Thunder come forward and declare themselves as leaders. *The spirit-cats ask them to create the four Clans, and promise them that if they do so then they will be rewarded with eight more lives. Main article: The Warrior Code *This chapter lists the different codes of the warrior code. *Firestar speaks of what he thinks about ThunderClan and ends with the words: "...but my heart is here, with ThunderClan - the Clan of heroes, the Clan of compassion, the Clan of destiny." *ThunderClan cats are said to be respectful of the other Clans, fierce in battle, loyal and courageous. They speak out for what they believe to be right even if this goes against the Warrior Code. *ThunderClan cats hunt small, forest-dwelling animals such as mice, voles, squirrels and birds. *ThunderClan cats are particularly good at stalking through the thick undergrowth of the forest. *This explains each part of ThunderClan territory: **The camp is at the foot of the ravine and is well protected by thornbushes. **Other important landmarks include: Tallpines, The Great Sycamore, Owl Tree, Sunningrocks, Snakerocks, The Sandy Hollow, Twolegplace *Narrated by Brightheart *She tells the story of what happened when she and Swiftpaw went to find the dogs in A Dangerous Path, which resulted in Swiftpaw's death. **Swiftpaw finds a way out of camp, and they sneak out. **When they get to Snakerocks, a dog comes out and attacks Swiftpaw ***Brightpaw thinks that "It's just one dog and there's the two of us." and then more dogs come out of the caves. **Brightpaw and Swiftpaw fight with all their strength and then Brightpaw loses track of things. **Brightheart says that she remembers Swiftpaw fighting like all of LionClan and that is how she will always remember him. **The last thing she remembers is being slammed against a rock before she falls unconscious **She recounts Cloudtail's love for her despite her injuries, saying "...and as long as Cloudtail loved me I was not Lostface, but Brightheart." *Narrated by Sandstorm. *She shows the reader around the ThunderClan forest camp **She meets Squirrelpaw on guard duty at the camp entrance **She points out the apprentices' den, the warriors' den and the elders' den ***Dappletail thinks the visitor (reader) is a spy for ShadowClan **She shows the reader the Highrock and Firestar's den **They visit Leafpaw in the medicine cats' den who tells them that Squirrelpaw would rather be hunting than on guard duty *Sandstorm sends the reader on their way so she can go hunting *This explains each important feature of ThunderClan's lake territory **The camp is a symmetrical stone hollow enclosed by tall stone walls left behind by Twolegs. **Twoleg paths are said to be marked with blue markers **There is an Abandoned Twoleg Nest to the north of ThunderClan territory which is said to be a good source of prey and herbs **The Ancient Oak is more commonly known as the Sky Oak and was a resting place for Brambleclaw, Mistyfoot, Crowfeather, Tawnypelt and Squirrelpaw on their first journey around The Lake *Narrated by Squirrelflight. **She tells the reader how she found the camp by falling in it. **She points out that it's protected by stone walls, and that she and the rest of the Clan think Twolegs created it. **She talks briefly about Mousefur and Longtail who seem suspicious of the reader **She then hops up onto the Highledge to show how her father, Firestar calls the cats for Clan meetings ***She accidentally yells too loudly, and Cloudtail, Dustpelt, and Brambleclaw appear. **She shows the reader the inside of Firestar's den where she tramples on his bedding, the nursery, where she talks about Sorreltail, and the medicine cat's den where she knocks over some of Leafpool's herbs. *She ends the tour by telling the reader to run as fast as they can before Brambleclaw sees. *Thunder - First leader of ThunderClan, worked with Shadow, River, and Wind to develop the Warrior code **Deputies: Lightningtail, Owleyes (Later Owlstar) **Apprentices: Unknown *Owlstar - The Second leader of ThunderClan, earned his name by learning how to stalk prey at night from watching owls. **Deputies: Unknown **Apprentices: Unknown *Sunstar - Kept the Clan together during a hard Leaf-bare and kept RiverClan away from Sunningrocks. **Deputies: Tawnyspots, Bluefur (Later Bluestar) **Apprentice: Lionpaw (Lionheart) *Bluestar - Wise, kind, beloved, and strong. Allowed a kittypet named Rusty to join the Clan, which was controversial, but he grew to be a widely respected leader - Firestar. **Deputies: Redtail, Lionheart, Tigerclaw, Fireheart (Later Firestar) **Apprentices: Frostpaw (Frostfur), Runningpaw (Runningwind), Firepaw (Fireheart) *Firestar - A natural leader, has a strong connection with StarClan, subject of the prophecy: "Fire Alone can save our Clan", helped bring WindClan back from exile, uncovered Tigerclaw's treachery, led the battle against BloodClan, helped lead the Clans away from the destroyed forest to their new lake home. **Deputies: Whitestorm, Graystripe, Brambleclaw **Apprentices: Cinderpaw (Cinderpelt), Cloudpaw (Cloudtail), Bramblepaw (Brambleclaw) *Cloudspots - quiet and reserved, sometimes thought to be shy; he was more interested in the theory of medicine than actually dealing with sick cats. Discovered the difference between whitecough and greencough and found that catnip could be a cure. *Featherwhisker - Medicine cat under Sunstar, and also Sunstar's brother. Had a strong connection with StarClan, and was mentor to Spottedleaf. During a greencogh epidemic he worked so hard to help his Clanmates that he eventually died. *Spottedleaf - Skilled at interpreting prophecies, and the cat who received the prophecy about Firestar. She still walks in the dreams of many ThunderClan cats including Firestar. *Yellowfang - A gifted healer, although sometimes bad-tempered. Helped rescue ThunderClan kits from ShadowClan. Succeeded Spottedleaf after she was killed, and later died as she lived, fighting for her Clan. *Cinderpelt - A quick learner, and would have made a good warrior if her leg had not been injured. Healed two sick ShadowClan cats, Littlecloud and Whitethroat, even against orders. Tried to save Bluestar from her paranoia against StarClan, and managed to save Brightheart from dying from her injuries that had been inflicted by the dogs. Died protecting Sorreltail from badgers. *Leafpool - Quiet, unlike her sister Squirrelflight, with whom she shares a deep connection. Discovered the Moonpool in the Clans' new territory, which earned her her name. Helped Mothwing save her Clan from a poisonous Twoleg liquid, and nursed ThunderClan back to health after the badger attack. StarClan sees a special destiny before her. *Tallstar expains that WindClan has seen great hardships and suffering, and that the other Clans may see them as weak for that, but the other Clans could not survive on the wide open hills like WindClan does. *He says that WindClan is the closest to StarClan both physically and spiritually, which lets them know that they will never be defeated. *Fiercely loyal, tough, swift, easily offended. They are nervous and quick to flee since they are used to having no cover on the moorland. They are proud of being the closest to the Moonstone and know a fair bit about Twolegs from seeing them on farms. *Mainly rabbits. *Very fast and lean for chasing rabbits. They have short, brown or gray fur to blend in with the moorland. *This explains significant points in WindClan's forest territory: **The camp is in a natural dip in the moorland. This make it more sheltered from the wind but vulnerable to attack. **An abandoned badger set, where apprentices go to learn badger scent. It is said to be a good spot for hunting rabbits. **The Gorge, on the other side is RiverClan territory. Apprentices are warned against going to close to the edge. **A Twoleg Farm where Barley and Ravenpaw live, and WindClan sheltered on their way back from exile. **Outlook rock, a rock which stand above the other rocks, and allows a cat standing on top of it to see nearly all of the moorland, used for lookout or guard duties. *Narrated by Onewhisker. *Onewhisker welcomes the reader and tells them that WindClan's first leader, Windstar made the sheltered dip that is now their camp when she reached down from StarClan and scooped out the sand. *He shows the reader the warriors' and apprentices' dens and Tallstar's den *He leaves the reader when he hears an apprentice calling from Outlook Rock meaning there are intruders *Narrated from a neutral point of view, not specific to one cat. *Describes how WindClan was driven out by ShadowClan. *Stoneclaw and Thrushwing are on vigil when the camp is attacked. **Stoneclaw is killed. *A pregnant queen, Morningflower guards the kits while Ashfoot goes off to fight. *WindClan are losing and Deadfoot wants to abandon camp; Tallstar agrees reluctantly. *WindClan flee. *This section describes important places in WindClan's Lake Territory: **The Moonpool Stream leads along WindClan's border with ThunderClan and towards the Moonpool **The WindClan camp is a shallow scoop in the ground. ***WindClan cats sleep outdoors except in bad weather when they use abandoned burrows left by foxes and badgers **Horseplace *Narrated by Crowfeather *He warns the reader that whilst the camp may look unprotected, every WindClan cat is watching and ready to defend against danger *He points out the Tallrock where Onestar makes his announcements, explaining that it is the biggest rock *He shows the reader the nursery, and the medicine den **Barkface is treating a tick problem in camp *He shows the reader the elders' den in an abandoned badger set *Crowfeather sends the reader on their way telling them he has done his job and that they can tell Onestar he did as he asked. *Wind - First WindClan Leader, worked with Thunder, Shadow and River **Deputies: Gorsefur (later Gorsestar) **Apprentices: Unknown *Gorsestar - Second leader of WindClan. Very loyal to his mate, Wind **Deputies: Unknown **Apprentices: Unknown *Tallstar - One of the wisest and longest-lived WindClan leader ever. Watched over Clan when they were driven out by ShadowClan **Deputies: Deadfoot, Mudclaw, Onewhisker (later Onestar) **Apprentices: Morningpaw (Morningflower) *Onestar- Warrior who was chosen to be leader in place of Mudclaw. Survived Mudclaw's rebellion. Took warriors to ThunderClan after badger attack. **Deputies: Ashfoot **Apprentices: Whitepaw (Whitetail), Gorsepaw *Mothflight - First WindClan Medicine cat; discovered Moonstone *Thrushpelt - Former warrior. An expert herb finder, took care of Clan through sick rabbit epidemic. *Barkface - Reliable, practical and effiecient; had a long dependable service. *Leopardstar talks about RiverClan, and she says that they are the Clan of grace and power. *Happy, sleek, well fed. *They decorate their dens with feathers, rocks and shells. *They do not fear water. *Mainly fish *Water voles *Mice *Shrews *Strong swimmers, silent and scentless in water. *Catch fish that live in river from bank, a skill unique to RiverClan cats. *Describes important places in RiverClan forest territory: **The RiverClan camp is a well-drained island surrounded by reeds. It has never been attacked by the other Clans due to their dislike of water. **The Gorge borders WindClan territory **The River is said to be a source of prey and protection for the Clan. **The Twoleg Bridge is a safe crossing at high-water levels. *Narrated by Feathertail *The entrance to camp is under willow trees. *Feathertail shows the reader the dens **The warriors' den has feathers woven into the branches and shells to decorate the den *Feathertail show the reader the nursery and how close it is to the water. **Some kits are learning to swim in the shallow part of the river. *Feathertail describes Sunningrocks. *It starts raining, and Feathertail thanks the reader for visiting. *Not narrated by any particular cat. *Silverstream is on the night watch. **She gets up to stretch her legs, and touches water. **She reports the floods to Crookedstar **Crookedstar thinks that the water might go down. *Mudfur moves his supplies to protect them from the floodwaters. *Shadepaw and Silverpaw try to hold back the water. *Loudbelly and Mistyfoot try to help them, but are unsuccessful. *Water floods the camp. *Two of Mistyfoot's kits are noticed to have disappeared. *Graystripe and Fireheart turn up with Mistyfoot's kits. *They speak with Crookedstar. *Important places in RiverClan Lake Territory: **The RiverClan camp is sheltered and within easy reach of prey. **Greenleaf Twolegplace - Twolegs come here with their kits during Greenleaf and swim in the lake **Halfbridge - a bridge that extends out into the lake but does not seem to go anywhere. Twolegs tie their "boats" up here. *Narrated by Mistyfoot. *Mistyfoot tells the reader that RiverClan found the best Lake Territory home **She points out the lush trees, the stream full of fish and the Lake *She shows the reader the dens and the nursery *She talks briefly with Willowpaw *She notes that their new camp is not as beautiful as their Forest home *She sends the reader on their way, warning them to keep an eye out for Twolegs. *Leopardstar's opening line suggests that the reader judged her. *She claims she is an excellent leader because she makes decisions and sticks to them. *Leopardstar explains Tigerstar's plan for the forest. **She says that no cat would be hungry. **Leopardstar also says that the Clans waste energy competing against each other. ***Together, Leopardstar think the clans could fight Twoleg Monsters *Leopardstar says that when Tigerstar talks about the future, she can see it. *Leopardstar admits she does get nervous about the way Tigerstar talks about Half-Clan cats. **She doesn't know what Tigerstar wants to do with the Half-Clan cats. *The ShadowClan warriors are building a hill of prey bones. **Leopardstar says it gives her nightmares. *River- Worked with Thunder, Wind and Shadow to help develop warrior code. Thought to have developed mentoring program. **Deputies: Unknown **Apprentices: Unknown *Crookedstar- Guided Clan through bad leaf-bare and flood. Accepted help from ThunderClan. Willing to bend the rules for his clan's safety. **Deputies: Leopardfur (Later Leopardstar) **Apprentices: Graypaw (Graypool), Stonepaw (Stonefur) *Leopardstar- Note to be proud, hostile and fierce. Turned RiverClan over to Tigerstar, and showed bad judgement in doing so. **Deputies: Stonefur, Mistyfoot, Hawkfrost (temporarily) **Apprentices: Whitepaw (Whiteclaw), Hawkpaw (Hawkfrost) *Dapplepelt- A she-cat who was brave, reckless, and quick to act, and saw being a medicine cat as type warrior who fights invisible enemies. She rescued an entire litter of kits when the nursery was swept away. The first Medicine cat of RiverClan. *Brambleberry- Crookedstar's medicine cat who was described as charming, quick thinking and good at getting her own way. If StarClan sent her an omen, she would be very careful about interpreting it. *Mudfur- A medicine cat who was paitent, intelligent and straightfoward. He interpreted a moth's wing as a sign for Mothwing to be a medicine cat apprentice, despite being born outside the Clan. *Mothwing- Former warrior who believes StarClan doesn't exsist. Born outside the Clan. *Blackstar explains his view of ShadowClan. He says that there won't be any soft-hearted alliances, and that ShadowClan will always be the dark heart of the forest. *Ambitious, battle-hungry, greedy for territory, aggressive, suspicious and untrusting. *ShadowClan cats are said to have the cold north wind blown across their hearts, making them untrusted. *Amphibians, such as frogs, lizards and snakes. *A food source that is not well known to the other Clans is Carrionplace where rats can be found *Hunt at night *Can stalk through undergrowth unseen *Explains the important places in ShadowClan Forest Territory **ShadowClan Camp - A dark hollow, hidden from view and surrounded by bramble bushes **Carrionplace is said to be an evil place where disease and rats are a threat **The Thunderpath Tunnel is a tunnel underneath the Thunderpath that marks the border. It allows ShadowClan cats to move freely across this border **Burnt Sycamore - A tree destroyed by lightning many moons ago. ***Apprentices are trained to hunt at night and to stalk silently through the undergrowth here *Narrated by Boulder **He explains that he was a loner in Twolegplace which is why he does not have a Clan name *He leads the reader up the path that leads to the ShadowClan Camp *He shows the reader where all the dens are *Boulder asks why the reader keeps staring at the fresh-kill pile **He says that frogs taste like a mixture of rabbit and fish *He ends by saying that ShadowClan are just like the other Clans: loyal warriors *Explains the important place in ShadowClan Lake Territory: **ShadowClan Camp - well hidden despite being close to Twolegs **The Twoleg Nest that is home to two agressive kittypets **Twoleg path **Greenleaf Twolegplace - Twolegs come here during greenleaf; putting up small dens, building fires and leaving behind twoleg food *Narrated by Tawnypelt *There are pine trees around camp, pool nearby *Brambles and low hanging branches hide how many cats are in the camp *She explains how she is glad to be a ShadowClan cat despite having ThunderClan blood *She likes to watch Twolegs in their boats on the lake with Smokepaw *Dens are side by side, with the Nursery first, then the apprentices' den, then the warriors', then the leader's, then the elders'; arranged so that the warriors are ready to protect the weaker cats *Littlecloud's medicine cat den is in a corner where he can see the sky to see signs from StarClan *Blackstar makes announcements from a branch above his den *She rushes the reader away, saying that ShadowClan cats get angry easily and they'd be safer in ThunderClan territory *Shadow - Founded ShadowClan, and worked with the other original leaders to develop the warrior code. Independent, bold, and untrusting; she was the first of the four original leaders to lose her ninth life **Deputies: Unknown **Apprentices: Unknown *Raggedstar - Proud and Cunning, helped ShadowClan fight off an attack from rats, and failed to see his son, Brokentail's evil nature before it was too late. **Deputies: Foxheart, Cloudpelt, Brokentail (Later Brokenstar) **Apprentices: Clawpaw (Clawface), Brokenpaw (Brokentail) *Brokenstar - killed his father, Raggedstar, and weakened the Clan under his leadership by making kits into apprentices early, provoking battles, and forcing cats to eat crowfood. Later blinded and killed by his mother, Yellowfang. **Deputies: Blackfoot (Later Blackstar) **Apprentices: Mosspaw, Volepaw (Both died mysteriously before becoming warriors) *Nightstar - Brave but frail; he was an elder who stepped up to lead the Clan after Brokenstar was driven out. Struggled to rebuild the Clan, but was not granted nine lives from StarClan, and died from a sickness caught from the rats of Carrionplace not long into his leadership, leaving the Clan open for Tigerstar to take over **Deputies: Cinderfur **Apprentices: Dawnpaw (Dawncloud) *Tigerstar - Ambitious, charismatic, crafty, and a brilliant fighter. Exiled by Bluestar for trying to kill her, after some time in exile, took over ShadowClan, and quickly rebuilt it. Allied ShadowClan with RiverClan to make TigerClan, and brought BloodClan to the forest, and ended up being killed by Scourge, BloodClan's leader. **Deputies: Blackfoot (Later Blackstar) **Apprentices: Ravenpaw (While in ThunderClan) *Blackstar - Arrogant and Defensive, was brought back from exile by Tigerstar and still is a bit grateful to him. Led his Clan to the new territory by the lake. **Deputies: Russetfur **Apprentices: Tallpaw (Tallpoppy) *Pebbleheart - Selfless, Caring, desperate to help his Clanmates with any problems, weakened himself by working tirelessly, realized rats from Carrionplace were a source of infection, but unfortunately died from a rat-carried infection. (See Beyond the Territories: How the Moonstone was Discovered) *Yellowfang - (See ThunderClan Medicine Cats, Yellowfang) *Runningnose - Nervous and quiet, named after his perpetual sniffle, but lived long enough to retire and become an elder. **Apprentices: Littlecloud *Littlecloud - Devoted to his work, good friends with Cinderpelt since she saved his life; as a warrior, he sought help from ThunderClan when the disease from Carrionplace was spreading, returned with a cure that saved his Clan *Narrated by Yellowfang *Yellowfang gives birth to three kits in a hollow tree. The two she-kits die, but Brokenkit survives *She buries her two daughters, and brings Brokenkit back to the ShadowClan camp *She gives Brokenkit to Lizardstripe to nurse, but is unsure about his future because of Lizardstripe's ambitious nature *She finishes off by telling the reader that she realized what a monster she had brought into the Clan, and how she wished that Firestar had been her son instead. *Narrated by Lionheart. *Lionheart explains to the reader all about StarClan. *Narrated by Snowfur. *Snowfur explains how she was killed by a twoleg monster. *She says that she wished she could have stayed alive until her son, Whitestorm, became a warrior. But she explains how she watched over his vigil from StarClan. *She tells the story of how her sister Bluefur took Oakheart from RiverClan as a mate. *A group of cats in StarClan discuss Bluefur's kit, Mosskit, coming to join them. *Moonflower expresses her anger that Bluefur fell in love with Oakheart, and that she was taking her kits out into the cold to bring them to RiverClan. She says that Mosskit would have survived otherwise. *Owlstar explains to Moonflower that if Bluefur didn't give her kits up, Thistleclaw would become ThunderClan's next leader, and how that would mean a bloody future. *Moonflower is still angry that Mosskit's life was paid for it. *The StarClan cats then begin to discuss what Thistleclaw might do if he became leader. *Snowfur offers to take care of Mosskit, as she has had experience with Whitekit. *Snowfur travels to Sunningrocks to help Mosskit on her way to StarClan. *Bluefur attempts to wake up her dead kit, but fails and begins crying out to the sky. *Snowfur wakes Mosskit up, and takes her to StarClan, and promised her that she would once again see her mother, brothers and sister again someday in StarClan. Territories *This part of the book shows the full Forest territory in map form, through the Twoleg view and the Clans' view. *It also shows the full Lake territory, also through Twoleg view and the Clans' view. Beyond The Territories Fourtrees *Fourtrees is a clearing in the middle of the four forest territories *Four great oak trees with the Great Rock, where leaders sit, in the center *Cats gather there every full moon Bluepaw Speaks: My First Sight of Fourtrees *Bluepaw is going to a Gathering although she's only been an apprentice for two days *Her mentor Stonepelt allowed her to go, and her mother Moonflower is with her *She explains how cats from all Clans gather and speak to each other *She vows that one day, she will be leader of ThunderClan and sit on the Great Rock From the Forest to the Lake *A map of the route from the forest to the lake is depicted. Highstones *There is a mountain range north of WindClan territory called Highstones *Inside a cave, there is a crystal, the Moonstone, which glows when the moon shines on it *Here is where cats communicate with StarClan, including Leaders receiving nine lives, or medicine cats meeting at the half moon How the Moonstone was Discovered *There was a WindClan cat named Mothflight, who was easily distracted, and often picked up herbs thinking they'd be useful *Mothflight is watching a feather on the Thunderpath, and almost gets hit by a monster, but Gorsefur saves her *Mothflight says the feather was "calling her", and Wind replies that if Mothflight cannot be loyal to WindClan, then she must leave *Mothflight wanders north, toward the mountains outside WindClan territory *She finds a tunnel in the rocks, and wanders through it, soon she comes to a larger cave with a crystal in it, lit up by light shining from a hole in the roof *Suddenly StarClan cats speak to her, saying that she has found the Moonstone and is destined to be the first medicine cat *They say Wind will forgive her, for her qualities that got her banished were the qualities that helped her find the Moonstone *She must find Dapplepelt of RiverClan, Pebbleheart of ShadowClan, and Cloudspots of ThunderClan, to be the other three medicine cats, and have them meet here at the Moonstone every Half-Moon to share tongues with StarClan The Moonpool *When the Clans came to their new home by the lake, they needed a new place to share tongues with StarClan because the Moonstone was too far to return to *A medicine cat apprentice, Leafpaw, found the Moonpool, which serves the same purpose as the Moonstone *Ancient pawprints in the rocks around it suggest that other cats visited there long ago An Ancient Cat Speaks *An ancient cat named Rock, introduces himself as a healer, and tells how he and his kin lived by the lake many moons ago *He says he lived in three Tribes, not four Clans like the modern cats, and he would travel to the Moonpool every half moon with the other two healers *He says it gives him joy to see the new cats using the Moonpool as well The Island *When the Clans moved to the lake, they also needed a new Gathering spot to replace Fourtrees *At first they used the Horseplace but they found a better spot, the Island *It would have been impossible for kits and elders to swim to, but StarClan made a tree fall to form a bridge, so all cats can Gather there Dustpelt Speaks: How StarClan Gave Us a New Gathering Place *Dustpelt was shocked when he first saw the Island *He was annoyed when Hawkfrost suggested that it be used as RiverClan's camp; he thinks it is far too valuable to be taken for one Clan *He explains how during Mudclaw's rebellion, a tree fell and made a bridge to the island, so all the Clans could reach it *It is now a safe, neutral ground, which belongs to all the Clans Sun-Drown-Place *A great expanse of salty water, not far from the Clans' new home, into which the sun sinks every night and get swallowed up *It is the home of Midnight the badger, and where the journeying cats learned of the destruction of the forest Tawnypelt Speaks: Journey's End *Tawnypelt describes how she was tired as they reached the Sun-Drown-Place *She heard a roaring, smelt salt, and saw a great expanse of water *Brambleclaw began leading them down the cliffs but she, Brambleclaw, and Squirrelpaw fell into the water, and swam to ground eventually *Feathertail found a better way down the cliffs, to the cave *They met Midnight and knew it was the end of their journey Ceremonies Leaders *In this part, it explains the life of a leader. *Explains that leaders make a Clan's decisions and must set a good example for their warriors *Their duties include calling Clan meetings, appointing warriors, apprentices, and mentors, and deciding what the Clan does in times of danger, often consulting other cats for advice *Leaders get nine lives from StarClan in a special ceremony *When a leader loses a life, they black out for a short time then wake up with their wound or illness healed just enough for them to be alive, but not completely gone, they still must recover Firestar's Nine Lives *In this section, it lists everyone who gave Firestar one of his nine lives, and explains what the life was. ::Main Article: Firestar#Nine Lives Deputies *In this section, it explains the duties and life of a deputy. *Deputies are the leader's second in command, and take on leader duties if the leader is sick or otherwise unavailable *They also see to organizing patrols and keeping an eye on mentors and apprentices' progress *The deputy must have mentored at least one apprentice, and have similar noble qualities to a leader, since they might have to take over the leadership *A deputy stops being deputy if they rise to Clan leader after their leader dies or retires, they retire from being deputy, they break the warrior code and are demoted, or if they die Apprentices *Apprentices are young cats, at least six moons of age, who are ready to leave the Nursery and train to be a warrior *The suffix of their name changes from "-kit" to "-paw" to signify the new path their paws are on *Apprentices are assigned a warrior as a mentor to teach them the ways of the warrior code and how to hunt and fight *Apprentices train and do chores around camp; if they work hard they soon earn their warrior name, and might get a chance to be mentors themselves Birchpaw Speaks: A New Apprentice *Birchpaw explains how he is a new apprentice, and he's very excited *He says his mother Ferncloud would have liked to nurse him for longer since his littermates Hollykit and Larchkit died *Ashfur is his mentor, and is smart and patient *He enjoys hunting patrols, even though he can't eat any prey until he's fed the elders *He wants to go to a Gathering and see Toadkit, Applekit, and Marshkit, other kits he made friends with on the Great Journey Warriors *Warriors make up most of the Clan; they are fully grown cats who have proven themselves loyal and competent enough to be granted a warrior name after training as an apprentice *They do all the everyday tasks for the Clan such as hunting, patrolling, and defending from attacks *When an apprentice becomes a warrior, they give up the "-paw" suffix of their name and get a new, more unique ending. Examples are Fireheart, Sandstorm, and Brambleclaw. Brackenfur Speaks: A New Warrior *Brackenfur recalls the day he was made a warrior *He went hunting with Fireheart; his mentor Graystripe wasn't around much *They scented WindClan and ShadowClan coming to attack ThunderClan for sheltering Brokentail *Brackenpaw was ordered back to camp to warn the others, so after doing that he defended Brokentail, knowing that Bluestar would want him to do that even though Brokentail was evil *After the battle Bluestar made him a warrior, with the name Brackenfur, his Clanmates supported him *He sat a silent vigil, guarding the camp, as all new warriors do *Now he has an apprentice, Whitepaw, and he enjoys teaching her and hopes to see her become the best warrior she can be Fighting Techiniques *Notes the different fighting techniques ::''Main Article: Fighting Techniques Elders *This section explains the life of an elder *Elders are warriors who have served the Clan for a long time, managing to survive the many dangers of being a warrior, and retired from duties either because of age or injuries *They are well respected since they have done so much for the Clan, and often gone to for advice Goldenflower Speaks: A New Role to Play *Narrated by Goldenflower. *She explains how she dreamed of being a warrior, and of maybe having kits. But that she never thought about becoming an elder. *She mentions that when she was nursing Swiftkit, an elder named Rosetail died defending the nursery from a ShadowClan attack. She says that she would have done the same thing. *She explains that one of the sad duties of being an elder, is that they must carry a dead clanmate to burial after their vigil. *She wraps up by saying that she's served her Clan for a long time, and that it's nice to have some peace and quiet. Breaking the Warrior Code Cloudtail Speaks: Tempted by the Kittypet Life *Cloudtail explains how when he was an apprentice, he didn't understand why he should follow the warrior code *He thought parts of it were stupid, but Fireheart kept pointing out what he did wrong, and not noticing what he did well *Cloudpaw ran off one day, and came to Twolegplace *Twolegs offered him food, and he took it, thinking it wouldn't hurt anyone. He began to think that kittypet life must be nice, but he still wanted to be a warrior at the same time. *One day, without warning, the Twolegs took him away in a monster and brought him to another Twoleg Nest farther away *Fireheart and Sandstorm rescued him, and it made him realize that being a warrior is more important, and he hasn't gone near Twolegs since Crowfeather Speaks: A Forbidden Love *Crowfeather tells how he had loved Feathertail so deeply, but she died saving the Tribe from Sharptooth *Soon after, he began to have feelings for Leafpaw, but could not believe that he could love another cat so soon after Feathertail *He tells himself that he has to be loyal; having a mate outside the Clan is against the warrior code, and medicine cats are even more forbidden to have mates, but he doesn't love any cat in WindClan the way he loves Leafpaw *He tried to surpress his feelings for her, but he was afraid if he even spoke to her they'd come spilling out *He could barely believe it when Leafpool brought him a message from Feathertail, that he should stop grieving for her, and look for living cats, he wondered if this meant she approved of his love for Leafpool *He explains how the night of Mudclaw's rebellion, he saved her from falling over the cliff of ThunderClan's camp, and admitted his love for her *He saw in her eyes that she felt the same way. Neither of them knew what they would do with this forbidden love, but they knew they were in it together Prohecies and Omens ::Main Article: Prophecies and Omens *This section lists the prophecies and omens the Clans have received from their warrior ancestors. *Explains how omens are everywhere, some cat see them more than others, but cats can also misinterpret omens. Major Prophecies Bluestar Speaks: Fire Alone Can Save Our Clan *Bluestar recalls how Spottedleaf received this prophecy on the night of the battle over Sunningrocks *She was confused at its meaning, since fire is one of the most destructive forces for the Clans, how could it help them? *Bluestar was on a patrol near Twolegplace, and saw Rusty; she thought he was a Clan cat because of the way he composed himself, looking ready to battle *A ray of sunlight hit his pelt, causing it to gleam like fire, and Bluestar wondered if he was part of the Prophecy *She invited him to join the Clan because of this, and she turned out to be right: Firestar did save the Clan. Firestar Speaks: Four Will Become Two, Lion and Tiger Will Meet in Battle, and Blood Will Rule the Forest *This prophecy came to Firestar during his leadership ceremony *A hill of bones and river of blood appeared, and Bluestar whispered, "Something terrible is coming." Then he heard the prophecy, "Four will become two, Lion and Tiger will meet in battle and Blood will rule the forest." *He eventually interpreted it: Four Clans became two, as they joined into TigerClan and LionClan. TigerClan and LionClan met in battle, and BloodClan almost ruled the forest, until all the Clans joined together to fight them off. *Since Firestar was able to figure out this meaning, the Clans restored peace after the battle Brambleclaw Speaks: Darkness, Air, Water, and Sky Will Come Together and Shake the Forest to Its Roots *Brambleclaw, a warrior, received this prophecy, rather than a leader or medicine cat *Bluestar appeared to him and told him to meet with three other cats at the full moon, and they must seek out midnight *He had no idea what it meant, but obeyed anyway, and ended up going on the Great Journey *When they reached Midnight, she told them the full prophecy: "Darkness, Air, Water, and Sky will come together, and Shake the Forest to its Roots. Nothing will be as it is now, nor as it has been before." *Brambleclaw explains that Darkness, Air, Water, and Sky represented the four Clans. The forest was shaken to its roots by the Twolegs, who were destroying it. And nothing would be the same, since the Clans found a new home, which was much safer from the threats of Twolegs Leafpool Speaks: Before There Is Peace, Blood Will Spill Blood, and the Lake Will Run Red *This prophecy came to Leafpaw in a dream, when she first slept in ThunderClan's new camp *She saw starts reflected in the lake, but then the lake turned to blood, and she heard the prophecy *She wondered if Mudclaw's rebellion was what the prophecy referred to, but she kept hearing it after that *When she saw Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost visited by Tigerstar in their dreams, she knew that it would only lead to trouble, and maybe Brambleclaw was going to betray Firestar. *She later found out she was wrong, when Hawkfrost tried to kill Firestar instead, but Brambleclaw killed Hawkfrost. "Blood will spill Blood" meant that Brambleclaw would be forced to kill his own brother. *She is happy that at least now there can be peace Medicine Medicine Cats *Medicine cats are essential to the Clan because they heal sick or injured cats, and also communicate with StarClan *Most medicine cats are naturally drawn to the medicine den from a very young age, and share a strong connection with StarClan *The life of a medicine cat is hard, and they are not allowed to have mates or kits, but they are respected by their Clanmates Leafpool Speaks: Not Just About Herbs *Leafpool talks about how she saw Cinderpelt and wanted to be a medicine cat from a very young age *She helped Cinderpelt in the den even before she was an apprentice *She knew medicine cats weren't allowed to have mates, but she had no idea that she would end up falling in love *She says that her medicine cat naming ceremony was too amazing to put into words, and she's not supposed to talk about it *She loves being the messenger from StarClan to ThunderClan, bringing important messages, even more than she likes healing her Clanmates *Mothwing, Leafpool's friend, is also a medicine cat, but she doesn't believe in StarClan. Leafpool keeps this secret for her *Leafpool knows how important her job is; if she makes a mistake a cat could die! *She tells the reader not to try using any of the following herbs on cats themself; she heard from her kittypet friend Cody that twolegs have Veterinarians to heal sick cats, and she says to only bring ill cats to the Vet or to a medicine cat Important Medicine and Their Uses Main Article:Medicine *This section lists the different herbs and medicine that medicine cats use to heal their Clan. Cats Outside the Clans BloodClan Clan Character *Loosely organized group of cats *No Warrior code or belief in StarClan *Ruled by fear, not loyalty Habitat *Twolegplace Leader *Scourge is small, but vicious. He wears a collar studded with dog's teeth and also has his claws reinforced with teeth. He is cruel, calculating, and deadly. Deputy *Bone is Scourge's unofficial second in command, carrying out all his dirty work. He also wears a collar studded with teeth. Notable history *Tigerstar brought BloodClan to the forest, offering Scourge a share of the hunting grounds if he helped TigerClan drive out the other Clans *Firestar told Scourge about Tigerstar's plan to take this forest himself, so Scourge ripped away all of Tigerstar's nine lives with one blow *Scourge then said he wanted the forest himself, and fought the Clans for it *Firestar managed to kill Scourge since, not believing in StarClan, he only had one life *The rest of BloodClan fled, without a leader Barley Speaks: Flight from BloodClan *Barley tells how his life with BloodClan was harsh; every cat had to fend for themselves and scrounge for food *He didn't know any other ways of living were possible *His brothers fit into BloodClan, and were eager to rise through the ranks *He and his sister Violet weren't as violent, and found a bush to live under together *Living with others wasn't allowed in BloodClan, and Barley was terrified that Bone or Scourge would find out about him and Violet *One day, his brothers, Jumper and Hoot, tell him that they have new names, Ice and Snake, and they now wear tooth-studded collars like Scourge *He runs into Fuzz, a kittypet with a friendly demeanor. Fuzz has his Twolegs bandage Barley's wounds, and feed him, and he realizes that BloodClan life isn't the only way to live *When Barley returns, Scourge and Bone have found out that he was living with Violet. As punishment, they make Barley watch as his own brothers attack his sister and nearly kill her *Barley is desperate to save his sister, so he brings her to Fuzz's Twoleg Nest, remembering how his Twolegs bandaged his wounds. Fuzz agrees to take Violet in, and Barley is happy knowing that she's safe, but he now has to find his own home *Eventually, he finds the barn, and makes a good home there. Tribe of Rushing Water Tribe Character *Smaller and thinner than forest cats *Smear pelts with mud for camouflage *Grow up either as Prey-Hunters or Cave-guards *Worship Tribe of Endless Hunting, most sacred place is Cave of Pointed Stones, where the Healer interprets signs Habitat *Mountains Camp *A cave behind a large waterfall *Narrow passages lead to Cave of Pointed Stones *Cats sleep in hollows on the rock floor, lined with feathers *A pool provides fresh drinking water Leader (known as Healer) *Known as Teller of the Pointed Stones, or Stoneteller for short *Leads the Tribe as well as doing duties much like a medicine cat; healing and communicating with the Tribe of Endless Hunting Stoneteller Speaks: The Coming of the Silver Cat *Stoneteller explains how the journeying Clan cats have come to the Tribe's territory *He is anxious about Sharptooth, a mountain lion that is killing many Tribe cats *He received an omen that a silver cat would defeat Sharptooth *He believes that Stormfur is the silver cat *He describes the rest of the Clan cats, and mentions that Feathertail's pelt is silver as well, but he brushes it off, thinking that the silver cat must be Stormfur *He pleads with the Tribe of Endless Hunting to help the silver cat defeat Sharptooth Rogues and Loners *This section talks about rogues and loners, and how the Clans tell them apart *Rogues are cats that are unwelcome in the Clans because of hostility or having broken the Warrior Code **Usually hostile, live on outskirts of Clan territory if near Clans at all *Loners do not live with Clans or Twolegs, live and hunt alone **Often friendly or even helpful to the Clans Barley *Black and white tom who used to be part of BloodClan (see "Barley Speaks: Flight From BloodClan") and now lives in the barn near WindClan territory *He often helps the Clans, notably when he helped Firestar pick out BloodClan's weaknesses (from his knowledge of living with BloodClan) Ravenpaw *Small black loner, who used to be a ThunderClan apprentice *Saw Tigerclaw kill Redtail in the battle at Sunningrocks, and was threatened by Tigerclaw if he were to expose the secret *Fireheart and Graystripe helped him run away and live with Barley for his safety *Ended up enjoying loner life more than Clan life Sasha *Tawny colored rogue who mated with Tigerstar while he was dealing with BloodClan *Bore him two kits, Mothwing and Hawkfrost *Gave her kits to RiverClan for their safety, and later asked them to rejoin her, but they wanted to stay in the Clans Purdy *Elderly, mottled brown tabby tom loner *Helped the journeying cats navigate Twolegplace, although it might not have been the fastest route! *Warned them of the dangers in the mountains, but they were destined to meet the Tribe Smoky, Daisy, and Floss *Three loners who live in a darn by the Horseplace *Don't hunt, are fed by Twolegs *Smoky is a gray and white tom, distant but not unfriendly. He is the father of Dasiy's kits Berrykit, Mousekit and Hazelkit, and Floss's mate also *Daisy is a cream colored she cat with blue eyes, she brought her kits to ThunderClan and now resides there as a Queen *Floss is a gray and white she-cat, whose kits were taken by the Twolegs Daisy Speaks: My Only Hope *Daisy notices that Floss's kits are gone *Floss tells her that the Nofurs took them, and doesn't seem upset about it *Daisy declares that she will leave with her kits so they won't be taken away *Smoke and Floss are skeptical, and ask her if she's going to stay with the new groups of cats that just arrived *Daisy seems sure that she will find shelter with these cats, no matter how dangerous it is outside the barn. She wants desperately to keep her kits Kittypets *Kittypets are cats that live with Twolegs. They are often timid and weaker than Clan cats, and rarely leave their Twoleg garden. Smudge *Friendly black and white tom, lived in the Twoleg nest next to Firestar when he was a kittypet, known as Rusty *Does not see the appeal of Clan life Princess *A light brown tabby with a white chest and paws, and Firestar's sister *She does not want to live in the forest herself, but is intruiged by it, and let Firestar have her eldest son (Cloudkit) to raise in ThunderClan *Cloudtail had a little trouble adjusting to the forest but is now a loyal ThunderClan warrior Cody *Sweet tabby kittypet with blue eyes who ran away from her Twolegs, only for fun *She ended up getting caught by the Twolegs tearing down the forest and got caged up with the trapped wild cats *She befriended Leafpaw, and returned to ThunderClan to help them for a short time, but did not enjoy Clan life enough to travel with the Clans to their new home, so she returned to her Twolegs Jacques and Susan *Jacques is a huge black and white tom, Susan is a small tabby she cat; they live in a Twoleg Nest in ShadowClan's lake territory *They are hostile, and have no honor. They attack weak cats, and hide in their Twoleg nest if they are beginning to lose a fight *ThunderClan helped ShadowClan teach them a lesson so they wouldn't attack again Millie *Light gray tabby she-cat who Graystripe met when he was captured by Twolegs *She helped him find his way back to the Clans, and he trained her to hunt and fight *She has become a true warrior despite her origins, and she and Graystripe love each other Other Animals Foxes *Russet-red fur, bushy tails, sharp teeth, and pointed noses. They look a bit like dogs. *Live in dens, often in sandy ground hidden by undergrowth. *Live alone or with their cubs. *Mean, suspicious, and hostile, they don't eat cats, but they will kill for pleasure and not just for prey. *They hunt mostly at night and have a strong and unpleasant smell. Badgers *Large, with short black fur and a white stripe down their long pointed muzzles. *Small, beady eyes, powerful shoulders, and sharp claws. *Live in either caves or sets, which are tunnels underground, bushes or tree roots. *Live alone, or with their kits and have a very distinctive smell. *Badgers sometimes prey on young cat kits. Can trample their victims with enormous paws or deliver a deadly bite. *Have tremendously powerful jaws that make it nearly impossible to escape their grip. **'Midnight': An exceptional badger at the sun-drown-place. She has no hostility for cats. She has a special connection with StarClan and can speak both Cat and Fox. It was Midnight who passed on the message that the Clans must leave the forest. Dogs *Size varies from that of a kit to a pony. Fur can be long or short, white, brown, black, gray, or a mix. Can have pointy or flat noses, droopy or sharp ears. Make loud angry noises and love chasing cats. *Live mostly in Twoleg nests or barns. Wild dogs might sleep anywhere; one pack in recent Clan history made their home in the caves below Snakerocks. *Loud, fast and sharp-toothed. Many dogs seem to be devoted to their Twolegs and are seen only in Twoleg company. There is a theory that most dogs are too dim witted to be truly dangerous. Packs of dogs are always to be feared. Birds of Prey *Winged predators with hooked beaks and sharp, curving talons, these include hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls. *Nest in hollows or branches of trees, or on the ledges of cliffs. *Extremely sharp vision for spotting prey from a distance. Hawks and eagles are daytime hunters; owls hunt at night. They swoop down from the sky to carry off prey, which includes kits. This was the fate of Snowkit, Speckletail's deaf son, when a hawk attacked the camp after a forest fire had burned away its protective cover. The Tribe of Rushing Water have developed clever ways to hunt these birds. Horses/Sheep/Cows *Four-legged farm creatures. *Horses are tall and swift with flowing manes and tails and giant, pounding hooves. *Sheep look like fluffy white clouds dotted across a green field. *Cows can be black or white or brown, and their hooves are to be avoided. *They live in large fenced fields and sometimes hay-filled Twoleg barns. *Mostly harmless. However, a galloping horse or stampeding herd of cows would trample a cat without even noticing. Rats *Brown-furred and beady eyed rodents, with long, naked tails and sharp front teeth. Not much bigger than kits. *Live in garbage dumps like Carrionplace in ShadowClan territory or anywhere they can scavenge Twoleg food. *Live and travel in packs. Individually they pose no threat to cats, but their numbers are often overwhelming, and bites can cause infection. A single rat contaminated the whole of ShadowClan during Nightstar's brief time as leader. Twolegs *Tall, smooth-skinned creatures with some fur on their heads. Walk on two legs. *Live in large, boxy nests with hard roofs and floors, often surrounded by tidy gardens and fences. *Also known as Nofurs and Upwalkers. Twolegs ride around in monsters and seem to like dogs. They are to be avoided if possible, as they are capable of doing something unpredictable at any moment, such as tearing down a tree, starting a fire, or locking up a cat for no reason. Mythology This section tells some of the mythological legends of the Clans. LionClan had flowing manes, like the rays of the sun. LeopardClan were swift, and had black spots on their pelts like racing pawprints. TigerClan were flame-colored night hunters, with black stripes like shadows flickering across their fur and the darkness of night in their souls. How LeopardClan Won The River *Goldenstar announces during a Gathering that a wild boar is loose in the forest. *Shadestar says that she knows this boar, and that they call him Rage. **It met a TigerClan hunting party, but escaped. *Fleetfoot of LeopardClan announces that she can kill it. **Shadestar and Goldenstar ask her to show that her deeds can match her words, to which Fleetfoot proudly reponds, "With pleasure". *Swiftstar says that in return LeopardClan will claim the river as their hunting grounds, which the others leaders agree with. *Fleetfoot fights and kills Rage, but encounters his mate Fury, who the other leaders had known about, but not told her. **She fights Fury for two days, drives her onto the stepping-stones, where she loses her footing and drowns. *Goldenstar and Shadestar are ashamed of their treachery and give LeopardClan sole hunting rights to the river forever. How Snakes Came to the Forest *There once lived a LionClan warrior called Sunpelt, who went to Snakerocks to fight Mouthclaw, the giant snake who had killed many warriors. *Sunpelt is too quick for Mouthclaw, and she cannot fight him. **She tells him to spare her, in return for a wish. *Sunpelt wishes for her to turn into a snake the size of a cat's tail. *Mouthclaw shrinks into a thousand snakes, each the length of a cat's tail. *Sunpelt, horrified, runs back to camp, and tell Goldenstar everything. **Goldenstar, at first is angry, but then forgives his warrior. How TigerClan Got Their Stripes *When the giant cats first walk the forest, TigerClan have no stripes, just plain gold coats, and they are jealous of the other Clans' special features. **This jealousy makes them bitter and so they hunt at night and keep to the shadows in the daytime. *Thorntooth, a TigerClan warrior is so bitter that he steals fresh kill, and later Goldenstar's daughter Petalkit. *Shadestar, his leader, calls a daytime Gathering, and returns Petalkit to LionClan. *TigerClan are banished to the shadows for one moon **When they arrive at the next Gathering, their pelts have been sliced through with jet black stripes, and from that day on, all TigerClan cats are born with stripes. Secrets of the Clans Category:Field Guide Series Category:Secrets of the Clans